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15 Killed in Northern Iraq Bombing

   VOA News 21 July 2010

   A  car  bombing  killed at least 15 people outside of a Shi'ite mosque
   near the northern Iraqi city of Baquba Wednesday.
   Iraqi  officials  say  the  blast  wounded  at  least 26 people.  The
   victims included women and children.
   News  organizations  quote  unidentified  government  officials in the
   region as saying the death toll may be as high as 30.
   There  was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, which
   is  the  third  attack  in  or near the city since Monday.   The two
   previous attacks killed five people.  Baquba is the capital of Diyala
   province.
   The  U.S.  military says a U.S. soldier was killed Wednesday after his
   vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Diyala province.
   Meanwhile,  the top U.S. military commander in Iraq said Wednesday the
   U.S.  troop  withdrawal  from  the country is on schedule, despite the
   recent wave of violence there.
   General  Ray  Odierno  said the number of American troops in Iraq will
   decrease  to  50,000  by  the end of August, from the current level of
   about  70,000.   Speaking  in Washington, he said the U.S. is also on
   schedule with its plans to fully withdraw by the end of 2011.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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